Ben Horowitz

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Ben Horowitz – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Learn about Ben Horowitz (born June 13, 1966), cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz, technology entrepreneur, author of The Hard Thing About Hard Things, and influential voice in startup culture.

Introduction

Benjamin Abraham Horowitz (born June 13, 1966) is a leading figure in Silicon Valley: a technology entrepreneur, venture capitalist, blogger, and bestselling author.

He is best known as the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of the most influential venture capital firms in the tech industry.

Horowitz’s writing on leadership, culture, and the hard realities of running a business—especially in his book The Hard Thing About Hard Things—has become widely quoted among founders and executives.

Early Life and Background

Though widely considered “American,” Ben Horowitz was actually born in London, England, on June 13, 1966.

He was raised in Berkeley, California, by his mother Elissa Krauthamer and father David Horowitz (a conservative writer and political commentator).

His family heritage is Ashkenazi Jewish; his great-grandparents emigrated from the Russian Empire to the U.S.

From an early age, Horowitz showed interest in computers and technology, which ultimately shaped his career path.

Education

Horowitz earned a B.A. in Computer Science from Columbia University in 1988.

He then obtained a Master’s in Computer Science from UCLA in 1990.

His formal training in computer science provided the technical grounding for his later roles as engineer, builder, and leader in tech ventures.

Career and Achievements

Early Career & Netscape / AOL

• In 1990, Horowitz began his career as an engineer at Silicon Graphics.

• In 1995, he joined Netscape, working as a product manager and later overseeing directory/security product lines.

• After Netscape was acquired by AOL in 1998, Horowitz served as Vice President of AOL’s e-commerce division (Shop@AOL).

Founding Loudcloud / Opsware

In 1999, Horowitz co-founded Loudcloud (with Marc Andreessen and others), offering infrastructure and hosting services to enterprise and internet clients.

In 2002, Loudcloud pivoted into Opsware, focusing on enterprise software.

Under his leadership as CEO, Opsware grew to serve hundreds of enterprise clients and generate over $100 million in annual revenue.

In 2007, HP acquired Opsware for about US$1.6 billion.

Following that acquisition, Horowitz moved into a leadership role at HP, overseeing software operations and managing thousands of employees.

Andreessen Horowitz

In July 2009, Horowitz and Marc Andreessen founded Andreessen Horowitz, often abbreviated “a16z.”

The firm initially launched with $300 million in capital, and quickly became a dominant force in venture capital, investing across early-stage and growth technology companies.

Some of its notable investments include Skype, Okta, Medium, Databricks, and many other breakout tech companies.

As of mid-2025, Andreessen Horowitz is one of the largest VC firms by assets under management.

Writing & Thought Leadership

Horowitz has developed a reputation not just as a dealmaker, but as a thinker on leadership, culture, and entrepreneurship:

• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers (2014) — his widely praised guide to the challenges of running startups and scaling companies.

• What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture (2019) — a follow-up exploring how leadership shapes organizational identity.

• He also maintains an influential blog (on a16z and his personal site), where he often begins posts with hip-hop or rap lyrics.

His writing is widely read by founders, executives, and aspiring entrepreneurs for its candid insights.

Personality, Leadership Style & Strengths

Horowitz is known for combining technical authenticity with brutal honesty about the challenges of leadership. He is not afraid to discuss failure, moral dilemmas, and the emotional toll of being a CEO.

He often frames leadership in terms of “wartime vs peacetime” modes — pointing out that tough business situations require decisiveness, resilience, and clarity of purpose.

His vocabulary often includes analogies from boxing, war, and rap music — which reflects his eclectic interests (for example, he begins many of his blog posts with hip-hop quotes).

Horowitz emphasizes that culture, values, and identity are not afterthoughts, but foundational components of an organization.

He is also known as a frank and direct communicator, often telling audiences that managing people is harder than writing code.

Famous Quotes by Ben Horowitz

Here are several notable quotes attributed to Horowitz, often resonating with entrepreneurs:

“Every time you interrupt someone, you steal their time.”
(On respect, communication, and leadership)

“There are no shortcuts to greatness.”

“If you are going to eat shit, don’t nibble.”
(A blunt way of saying if you must accept pain or bad decisions, do it decisively)

“One way to know if you're doing the hard thing right is: the pain is proportional to the reward.”

“In my experience as CEO, I found that the most important decisions tested my courage far more than my intelligence.”

“Great CEOs know how to delegate. But they also know when to take over.”

These lines reflect his worldview: that leadership demands courage, clarity, decisiveness, and constant awareness of human cost.

Lessons from Ben Horowitz

1. Embrace the struggle, don’t hide from it
   Horowitz argues that true leadership is forged in adversity—facing hard truths rather than ignoring them.

2. Culture and identity matter
   A company’s internal values and how leaders act define its destiny as much as strategy or product.

3. Decisions matter more than intentions
   It’s not enough to want to do right; one must act, even when paths are ambiguous.

4. Communication is as important as vision
   Clear, honest dialogue—even about failure or uncertainty—is essential in a growing organization.

5. Don’t fear “wartime” leadership
   The mindset and demands of crisis leadership differ from steady growth phases; a leader must adapt.

Legacy and Influence

Ben Horowitz’s influence spans multiple domains:

• As a cofounder of a16z, he has helped fund and guide many transformative tech companies.

• His books and writings have become foundational texts in startup and leadership education.

• His often blunt, human-centered approach to leadership is held up as an antidote to sugarcoated Silicon Valley ideals.

• He continues to mentor entrepreneurs and influence how new generations think about business, ethics, and culture.

While his early biography may include being born in England, his identity and impact are strongly rooted in the American tech ecosystem.